On Topic with IU

When you get vaccinated there are still some rules to follow. Shandy Dearth, who teaches epidemiology at the Fairbanks School of Public Health at IUPUI in Indianapolis walks us through it.

There are new CDC guidelines for people who are fully vaccinated for Covid-19. In this interview excerpt we discussed the hight points with Shandy Dearth, of the Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health at IUPUI.

Covid cases and hospitalizations are down and vaccination numbers are starting to climb. IUPUI's Shandy Dearth, from the Fairbanks School of Public Health, talks about the optimism of the season, new advice from the CDC and about all of the vaccine options now on the market.

Nationally, student loan debt reached $1.6 trillion last year. That works out to somewhere between $200 and $300 for alumni paying off their personal student loans, but the economic downturn has a lot of people in a pinch. The U.S. Department of Education says about 20 percent of borrowers are in default, and a recent Pew study found most were concerned about how they'd make their next payment.

To counter the national problem, the Biden administration extended the student loan grace period until September 2021. We talked with Phil Schuman, who is the executive director of Financial Wellness and Education at Indiana University -- Bloomington, to see what this means for alumni, students and potential borrowers.

For more, visit https://moneysmarts.iu.edu

Dr. Greg Siering is the director for the Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning at Indiana University - Bloomington and he joins us to talk about emerging best practices in teaching remote and hybrid classes, building community with students in a virtual setting and the services that CITL provides to faculty.

Our economic recovery will likely be gradual, and spikes in coronavirus cases could directly impact those improvements going forward. That's part of the new economic forecast from Indiana University's Kelley School of Business scholars. Their new report suggests we still may experience some difficulties in the workforce, despite continued, if slower, improvements into 2021.

Dr. Kyle Anderson, of the Kelley School of Business, said he feels optimistic about Indiana's position compared to many other states in that recovery. Listen to our conversation to find out why.

Planning the traditional holiday trip to see family? Give this a listen. We talked with Fairbanks School of Public Health at IUPUI's Shandy Dearth about what might be safe, and what might dangerous, for our loved ones.

Polls close in Indiana at 6 p.m. eastern, on Tuesday. And if you're in line by then you will get to vote. Just stay in line, says Dr. Matthew Baggetta, a professor in the O'Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs. In this quick hit he talks about voting, poll watchers and how it's very possible that we won't know all of the winners and losers on election night.

Indiana University's Covid-19 testing labs are now online at Bloomington and the IUPUI campuses. Dr. Aaron Carroll, of the IU Medical School and director of Surveillance and Mitigation at IU, says it's another step toward the university's ultimate plan of ubiquitous testing.

Dr. Matthew Baggetta from the O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs describes election day for us. Polls in Indiana close at 6 p.m. on November, 3rd, so get there before then, and stay in line, he says.

The lines might seem longer because of social distancing, he says, but stay in line.

He also talks about what voters will need to bring to the polls with them on Election Day.